I have knee issues, so I've been avoided doing squats, till yesterday. I read so many good thing about doing squats and decided to incorporate them into my routine gradually. It felt really nice, like some energy rushing through whole of my body, after doing a set of squats:) And knees don't hurt today. Maybe it's good to go a little against the disability?

And one new thing more: I've been watching this guy VICTOR COSTA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJGl3rtLF18on Youtube and liked his style, so I decided to lower the weights and increase the number of repetitions in some of my legs workout. I did all exercises very very slowly, in the style he recommends in the video I linked to. Today I feel my muscles burning, but in the right way:) I'll have rest for two days, including today.

From everything that I've witnessed at the gym with people that have knee issues. Squats most people are ok with, it's usually just lunges that cause a problem. Of course good form is also key to preventing more injuries too!

The devotion of thought to an honest achievement makes the achievement possible.

I'd be cautious about the leg extensions if you have knee issues. If you have anything that causes pain with patellar tracking that's off-center (kneecap shifting outward or inward when leg extends), you might find that extensions can lead to more pain. Even when strong at squatting, I can't do leg extensions with more than a small amount of weight or my knees will be sore for days afterward.

Though, good, deep squatting with proper form can be very much rehabilitative to the knees if there's no condition that warrants avoiding squats. As long as they're done deep, no bounce at the bottom, and form is kept tight, it can help alleviate knee pain - it definitely does for me, no question about it!

"A 'hardgainer' is merely someone who hasn't bothered to try enough different training methods to learn what is actually right for their own damned body." - anonymous

VeganEssentials wrote:I'd be cautious about the leg extensions if you have knee issues. If you have anything that causes pain with patellar tracking that's off-center (kneecap shifting outward or inward when leg extends), you might find that extensions can lead to more pain. Even when strong at squatting, I can't do leg extensions with more than a small amount of weight or my knees will be sore for days afterward.

Though, good, deep squatting with proper form can be very much rehabilitative to the knees if there's no condition that warrants avoiding squats. As long as they're done deep, no bounce at the bottom, and form is kept tight, it can help alleviate knee pain - it definitely does for me, no question about it!

Thank you for your advice, vegansEssentials I have no serious pain in knees. I have week knees though, due to some inborne tissue degeneration in the knees, so hey make terrible sounds as I squat. I never felt any serious pain in my knees, but they're definitely weak an noisy.I feel comfortable with extensions, with normal weights, for now. Squats were fine also. One thing I can't do for sure, even without weights are lunges: my knees just don't work here

In some todays exercise I tried Victor Costa's advice to use medium weights and do exercises properly and slowly to the exhaustion. I definitely feel that this is the right way for me to exercise. I always loved doing exercises with proper form and never really understood those guys in the gym that take way to heavy weight for them and the jerk and bounce. I love elegance and endurance. Next time, I will definitely do ALL exercises in this manner.

DIDN'T HAVE TIME FOR ABS: I was in the gym for nearly 2 hours! Maybe due to high repetitions in some sets, don't know... I felt like I was starting to shake and needed sugar, so I gave up abs... and eat my 10 bananas!

Q about squats though. What kinds are you doing? Which ways do you position your legs and feet? I know there are different kinds and ways you can stand to work different leg muscles. Where and how are you holding the barbells and/or dumbbells? Just looking for advice from someone more experienced than me. Currently I'm only doing walking lunges with dumbbells but I want to start doing squats.

Q about squats though. What kinds are you doing? Which ways do you position your legs and feet? I know there are different kinds and ways you can stand to work different leg muscles. Where and how are you holding the barbells and/or dumbbells? Just looking for advice from someone more experienced than me. Currently I'm only doing walking lunges with dumbbells but I want to start doing squats.

Keep at it!

Thank, but I am TOTALLY unexperienced in squats I've just started to do them. I do them like this guy in the video.

Cool stuff. Being a gym novice I have to get time to google some of those things!

Ever since I was a child I have had this instinctive urge for expansion and growth. To me, the function and duty of a quality human being is the sincere and honest development of one's potential.- Bruce Lee

Today I was reluctant to go to gym, but at the end decided to go. I drank 3 bears yesterday evening, and my final conclusion is: I simply cannot stand alcohol anymore. I don't get drunk, I just feel like poisoned. I will not drink alcohol in the future! At least not before the day I have to go to gym. But surprisingly, I was very good and energetic during workouts. Thank God!

OK, after short break due to my family obligations, I went back to gym today. Felt like shit, because of some personal problems and disgusting weather (temperature dropped from 37 to 13 Celsius here I needed something to make my day and I decided to try doing dead lifts for the first time. The guy in the gym said that maybe it's too early for me to start with dead lifts, but he showed me the how to do them anyway. Why does he think it's too early? I go to gym like 3 months already... Anyway, when I finally did them, he noticed my execution was surprisingly good (I thank to 5 years of yoga for that, again!) I LOVE DEAD LIFTS! I felt that same energy I felt when I tried squats for the first time last week. Those compound exercises make me happy actually. Now I feel much better then before gym! I also did some posing: got 2 kg more during last couple of weeks (eating, eating, eating, that's all I do...). I'm slowly loosing "definition" , which means moving away from skinny, and hopefully getting more muscle mass. Uploaded with ImageShack.us Uploaded with ImageShack.us Uploaded with ImageShack.us

What you said about the yoga is so true. I find it helps everything! My flexibility was commented on at the gym the other day, and I find I usually end up less injured than I normally would from the conditoning also.

Ever since I was a child I have had this instinctive urge for expansion and growth. To me, the function and duty of a quality human being is the sincere and honest development of one's potential.- Bruce Lee